A Late Night Apology
by OodlemyNoodles
Summary: Maria Reynolds makes a late night visit to Eliza. (Marliza oneshot)


Eliza wiped her eyes, fresh tears brimming, an abandoned copy of the 'Reynolds Pamphlet' lay on the floor near her. Eliza felt ashamed and embarrassed of her trusting nature, she had given Alexander her heart and he had crushed it.

Eliza had practically zoned out as she sat alone in the dining room, she could faintly hear the yelling of Angelica's voice. She supposed she was screaming at Alexander, a part of Eliza wished she hadn't Eliza needed to fight for herself.

At the current moment Eliza felt empty, it was as if all of the joy and happiness she had ever felt had been sucked out of her. A small pile of letters had been strewn aside angrily, Eliza twiddles the edge of one in between her fingers.

It doesn't feel the same as it once did when she was nothing more than a teenager. These letters were nothing more than a web of betrayal and lies, they meant nothing to her.

Eliza knew that was a lie, if they truly meant nothing she wouldn't have spent hours sobbing clutching them in her hands.

Of course she couldn't even read them now if she tried, it had gotten dark long ago but Eliza didn't care much to light a candle. Eliza considered trying to enter the world of sleep, but she knew it would not come.

She sighed deeply placing her head in her hands, a sob wracked her body once again. Eliza was foolish to have ever trusted Alexander let alone fall in love with him.

Although she supposed she couldn't help who she fell in love with as love wasn't a choice. Still she couldn't ever imagine truly forgiving him, as much as she didn't like it she knew she would have to accept his endless apologies eventually.

Divorce wasn't an option, they had many children and she couldn't take care of them herself. She supposed she could take them all to London and stay with Angelica, although she didn't know about taking all of her children across the ocean.

A loud knocking at the door startled Eliza out of her thoughts, she was quite surprised to hear this considering the time and the rain pouring down outside. She stood slowly and walked over to the door swinging it open rather roughly.

Her eyes widened at the sight, a very beautiful woman stood before Eliza her face was haunted by bruises. She wore a long red dress that was soaked through and streaked with mud. Her chocolate brown hair fell at the sides of her face as she shivered in the cold rain.

Eliza immediately recognized the woman as the Maria Reynolds, "Why are you here..?" Eliza's voice was almost as cold and hard as the rain that currently pelted Maria. "If you're here for Alexander-"

"Miss I'm here to speak to you.." Maria cut her off, she brushed aside some of her hair revealing a large purple bruise around her eye. "Miss please just hear me out.."

"Why should I? you deceived my husband and while he has just as much fault as you, you ruined my life!" Maria shrank back slightly at the tone of Eliza's voice that accompanied the tear stains on her face. The heartbroken woman went to close the door but was stopped.

"Please, I'm here to apologize..." Maria pleaded grabbing Eliza's hand before she could close the door holding it firmly. For some reason Eliza didn't snatch her hand back but instead opened the door pulling Maria in.

Eliza fetched a candle lighting it, sweeping aside the letters she set the candle on the table. "Stay there" Eliza said as she retreated up the stairs quickly.

Maria stood there rather awkwardly as a door was thrown open from Alexander's office, out came Alexander himself. He looked as if he had saw a ghost when he saw Maria and hurried past her without making contact out into the rain.

A woman in a pink dress came out after him clearly enraged, Maria guessed this must be Angelica. She remembered Alexander mentioning both Eliza and Angelica fondly.

"Who are you..?" Angelica walks over to Maria suspiciously, "Maria Reynolds.." Maria replies slowly. "So you're the woman who ruined my sisters life?" Angelica was still quite angry from Alexander ordeal but to have Maria here as well filled her with rage.

"Angelica, she's here to talk" Eliza appeared by the staircase a dress draped in her arms. She handed the dress to Maria swiftly and pointed down the hallway to a spare room, "here's a new dress, that one is absolutely filthy."

Maria nodded in thanks and rushed to change, bless Eliza's kindness as she didn't look forward to staying in the soaked dress. "Why is she here...?" Angelica questioned turning to her younger sister with a cocked eyebrow.

"Truthfully I don't know...I wasn't going to let her stand there in the rain though" Angelica shook her head slightly and placed a hand on Eliza's shoulder "I will be upstair, call for me if you need me" Eliza nodded as Angelica headed up the stairs.

A moment or so later Maria walked out of the room slowly, Eliza's dress fit her rather well. It was a deep emerald green and outlined the curves of Maria's body. Eliza said nothing motioning for Maria to sit on the chair across from her.

Maria did as told and sat hesitantly, neither girl spoke for an agonizingly slow few minutes. Maria broke the silence "I know you must hate me, but please you must understand why I did it."

Eliza didn't respond crossing her arms, Maria didn't like this behavior with the exception of her husband she usually had people bending over backwards for her. "My husband has beaten me, cheated me, I had no other option.."

Eliza was silent she didn't want Maria's pity story, but from the marks all over Maria's body that was visible she knew it was true. "He used me, he used me to get money from your family..."

Eliza knew all of this already but hearing the desperation in Maria's voice made her slightly less angry. Perhaps Maria was telling the truth, "I wasn't supposed to..." Maria paused wiping the corner of her eyes. "Fall in love..."

Now Eliza was beside herself in confusion, the woman who had deceived Alexander had perhaps truly loved him? Eliza felt many different emotions at that point but she found herself placing a hesitant hand on Maria's.

"We've both fallen in love with an Icarus, he flew far too close to the sun" Eliza quoted her sister as Maria looked up. The home-wrecker fell silent for a moment.

"I suppose if Alexander is an Icarus, that makes me the sun..." Maria chuckled although the despair that glinted in her eyes gave her true emotion away. Eliza didn't respond for a moment her hand still hadn't moved from Maria's. "Not necessarily, Alexander is the Icarus and the sun is his legacy.." They both knew this as true, Alexander has published the reynolds pamphlet to protect his legacy and nothing else.

12 chimes from the clock made the two women realize how late it had gotten, Maria coughed and pulled her hand back away from Eliza's. "Miss I truly and deeply am sorry for the way happened...it was wrong of me."

Eliza nodded thinking of her children who were deep in sleep by now. "You had to do what you needed to keep your family together" Maria nodded as Eliza said this. "I should truly be going...James will wonder where I've gone."

Maria knew this wasn't true, he was most likely off at the bar he wouldn't care even if Maria got shot on her way home. "Thank you..for the dress I will have it returned once it is clean"

Eliza nodded, and led Maria to the door. "Maria..." Eliza said softly just before the woman left the house. "I forgive you"

Maria smiled thanking her for her kindness and headed out back into the night, perhaps Alexander wouldn't be the only Hamilton she fell in love with.


End file.
